RUSSELL HIVELY: Too many regulations?

Friday

Jan 4, 2013 at 10:26 AMJan 4, 2013 at 10:27 AM

The mornings have been nippy the last week or so. Several layers of clothing are required to make my early walks along Wildcat Boulevard comfortable. I have begun wearing mittens and a warm ear flap cap.

The mornings have been nippy the last week or so. Several layers of clothing are required to make my early walks along Wildcat Boulevard comfortable. I have begun wearing mittens and a warm ear flap cap.

I was thinking about government regulations the other morning as I walked along. I had recently read an article about what was keeping businesses from expansion in the United States.

In a survey of large companies that do most of their business in the USA, two factors seemed to rise above the rest —taxes and regulations.

As I thought about this article, I recalled several stories I had been told recently about silly government regulations. The first was a story told by a friend mine who was hunting elk out west.

One morning as they were breaking camp, a vehicle drove into their camp. The man got out and showed his credentials and told them he was there to check their toilet paper. He said regulations required them to have biodegradable toilet paper in camp. He checked their toilet paper. It was OK, and he was one his way.

I recently read that a manufacturing plant that was burning turkey litter for fuel was fined $14,000. Inspectors found there was some treated wood in the turkey litter. They were fined for something they were not aware of doing.

My son tells a story of an incident which occurred when he was working in a limestone quarry in Springfield. One time, the inspectors found there were no covers on the outlets in one of the buildings. The company was fined.

But, the building had only been moved to the site a couple days before. Electricity had not yet been run to the building. There was no danger.

A few years ago, the Neosho's city fathers passed an ordinance which was quite restrictive in many areas, especially for home businesses. Thankfully, the ordinance has been changed so I do not break a law every day.

Taxes and changes in the tax laws and regulations have been in the news every day lately. May some common sense prevail, so taxes continue to be a part of life but not a deterrent to the progress of our country.

Take a walk, be aware of too many regulations and taxes that too high, overuse your signal lights, be watchful of pedestrians, and see what you think about as you walk along your own Wildcat Boulevard.